Smarter tips for better networking

In the world of business, success often hinges on who you know. Building and maintaining strong relationships can take years of effort, but the benefits are undeniable.

Whether you need advice, support, or access to new markets, having a robust network can make all the difference. That’s why networking is such a crucial part of any business strategy. However, it’s not just about attending events and collecting business cards.

To maximize your networking efforts, you must focus on three key areas: building genuine connections, providing value to others, and staying engaged over the long term. By prioritizing these elements, you can create a powerful network to help you achieve your goals and grow your business.

Online networking

Digital marketing is important to building your professional network. The connections you create with strategies like using influencers and posting content on your social media networks help add relevant contacts to your networks.

There’s no understating how important social media is regarding networking. and if you are looking for ways to connect with others in your field, then you should certainly start with Twitter.

Use the search function to find relevant accounts and follow industry-relevant hashtags. Then take time to interact with those accounts and contribute to discussions involving your expertise areas. This allows you to link up with relevant people and provides a starting point for real-world conversations should you meet at the next industry event. Never underestimate the potential of social media when it comes to forging new business relationships.

How to network at trade events

Trade shows and fairs are a fantastic networking opportunity, but it’s very easy to do in the wrong way. Consider how many people are at your event and how many of them are doing the same as you.

If you’re doing nothing more than handing out plain business cards, hoping to get an email sometime in the future, you’ve wasted your time.

Instead, you must a) make sure you are remembered and b) follow through with your connection. When making an impression, a good way to do this is by having a more unique business card. Handing over something that has all of your contact details clearly visible and unique will go a long way to encouraging further communication.

Using cards will help you stand out and make it far more likely that your potential contact will contact you after the event. Make an impact. You do want to be remembered after the event.

Your business card is a lasting reminder of you, but when you realize how many get passed around at network events, it can be challenging to remember which card belongs to which person. Use unique business cards, and you’re far more likely to be remembered after the fact.

The follow-up

If you’ve handed out all of your business cards and then carried on with your day, then you’ve missed out on the reason for your networking in the first place. Following up with the contacts that you’ve made is the only way to start really building a relationship with them.

When your networking event is over, gather all the contact details you have collected and make it a task to contact those that are relevant to you, or could prove helpful in the future. Failing to do so means you have wasted time and money.

Ideally, you want to create a pool of contacts that can help you, whether that help is in the form of developing new ideas, new sources of feedback, or even further introductions to new customers or suppliers. Remember that business relationships are often a case of give and take, but with the right networking strategies, your business could soon have access to a much wider range of resources